Griffiths in full swing at Folly Oval in Portland last Saturday evening. A STRONG passion for reggae music was revealed at Folly Oval in Portland last Saturday evening as some of reggae's great took a stance in the 'evergreen parish'.
Dubbed 'Heroes in Concert', the show featured a strong line-up of some of the best reggae has to offer, with the likes of John Holt, Professor Nuts, Barrington Levy, Marcia Griffiths, Beres Hammond and Beenie Man giving great performances.
The reaction from the crowd throughout the performance showed that they were pleased with each act that graced the stage. Requests for encores became customary, however, not all the acts were prepared for reappearances. Those who declined the request for an encore were Marcia Griffiths and Beres Hammond, as both complained of fatigue.
John Holt, like all the other acts, had the patrons singing along with him. Barrington Levy was wonderful in his delivery and showed that he was indeed 'Broader than Broadway'. Professor Nuts had patrons in stitches with his humour.
SOLE HEROINE
The sole heroine, Marcia Griffiths, gave a splendid performance and was loved by the patrons as she 'Step up pon Babylon'. She had the patrons on their feet as she paid tribute to reggae great Bob Marley. She sang Bob's Three Little Birds and Iron Lion Zion as sections of the crowd, which were now going berserk, sang along with her. She left the stage on a high, turning down the crowd's request for an encore.
Her exit and the MC's announcement that Beres Hammond was about to take the stage saw the chairs in the VIP section becoming unnecessary. A mass exodus to the immediate base of the stage area was in progress as everyone tried to get closer to Beres. Patrons in the regular section could not get much closer because of a fence.
Entering the stage singing One Dance and clad in his trademark tam, the 'hit-laden' Hammond started his very passionate 38-minute long performance. He sang each selection as if he was doing it for the first time, not interrupting the flow as he eased from song to song. The crowd enjoyed every bit of it.
The patrons latched onto the rhythms as they were played by the Harmony House Band and paved the way for Beres as they led him into the songs.
'ENERGISER BATTERY'
Beres cut his 'energiser battery' flow, where he kept going from song to song, momentarily to pay tribute to 'Reggae's Crown Prince', Dennis Brown. He was joined willingly by the energised crowd.
Before exiting the stage Beres gave an extended performance of Rock Away, giving justice to his phrase "I see no statues around" as everyone in the venue was either moving or dancing at this particular point in the proceedings.
When Beres left the stage at about 2:58 a.m. the crowd began shouting for him to return to the stage, but their pleas were only in vain as it was revealed by the MC that he was not going to.
Beres' exit saw the entrance of another hero in reggae music - Beenie Man. The 'Doctor' graced the stage after an elaborate introduction and immediately he had the crowd going wild. He gave a good performance, adding little antics occasionally to spice up his set. He attempted to leave the stage on numerous occasions but was summoned on-stage again by the patrons, who yearned for more of the 'Doctor'. He finally left the stage some minutes after four a.m., bringing the curtains down on the successful staging of 'Heroes in Concert'.
